A Balancing Act
by aquaisra
Summary: Young Do x Eun Sang. Follows the show loosely. A what would happen if type of story, with the exploration of what would happen if Eun Sang fell for Young Do instead of Kim Tan, and how would the story have changed. Rated T for swearing in later chapters. Rating subject to change.
1. Chapter 1

_Hello everyone, this is my second piece of fan fiction, and this is a Young Do x Eun Sang focused story. I really liked the couple as I was watching the show, and I thought it would be interesting to explore their chemistry in more depth. This is only the first chapter of a series I am going to be writing up. Unfortunately due to exams and a vacation to goodness knows where in the winter break, I probably won't be able to update until January, but by then I should have written a big chunk of the story and will post it all up on the site. Please read and review this in the meanwhile, it's nice to get feedback be it positive or negative, and I am very interested in hearing what you guys have to say in terms of where you think or want the story to head._

_Another note. This follows the show itself in a loose manner. So if there is a discrepancy, that was on purpose._

_Without further ado, please enjoy, rate and review!_

He was often accused of being spoilt.

Getting what he wanted, when he wanted it, and all that. And he was, to a certain extent. He acknowledged such criticisms with a perverse pride of having distinction enough in terms of wealth and rank to have earned the attention of others in terms of his oddities. But to accept that as the truth was to oversimplify things. He could wait, and tolerably patiently as well, if the end goal was worth it. And in destroying Kim Tan, he had long ago resolved, there was more than enough motivation.

But it wasn't the mental image of Kim Tan grovelling on the ground that caused the shark-like smile to spread across Young-Do's face as he was leaning against his locker nonchalantly, in the early hours right before first period. Rather he gave his _cluck_ of appreciation at the perfection of the timing when the pretty girl walked by with dizzying swiftness_; _her hair, which was tied up, swinging with her gait, but otherwise in dress and figure perfectly ordinary.

He tailed behind Eun Sang at a distance, keeping his stride measured and his gaze fixed. Some of the less stupid of the students turned around as he walked past, in the realization that he was following someone. But she kept walking ahead, seemingly oblivious to the babble that was occurring just behind her. Past the classrooms, into the lobby, still she kept going forward and he right behind her. But he stopped in his tracks when he saw her destination. Because she was walking right towards Kim Tan himself, who was sitting on the bench outside in the gardens, surrounded by the carefully pruned shrubbery. The sky a beautiful gradient blue, with almost translucent trails of clouds, as though someone had made them of the most delicate of silk.

Ha had no intention of watching them all over each other. Not in this picturesque scene especially. It was too early in the morning, and he'd only just had breakfast.

But as he watched the deep furrows on Kim Tan's brow dissipate as she crept forward, her hesitancy surprising after seeing her so bold before, he felt his mild puzzlement over the pair only increase. He would be willing to bet all he had that Eun Sang was a charity case. Just intuition after having ruled over the school these last few years and keeping it's established order. Even if she was New Money, the second son of Jeguk group with a girl of her social standing? Where would they have even met? How would they have had the chance for it to deepen into any sort of relationship? Tan had been in America these last three years, whereas she was obviously any common Korean girl, who had never been outside Seoul let alone the country judging from her unsophistication.

And then they wanted to keep everything secret from the rest of the school, even though Rachel, the person they would normally want to keep this quiet from in the case of an affair, obviously knew that they were seeing each other as more than friends.

His eyes flicked to the textbooks that Eun Sang placed on the raised curb that held the potted plants, before she started lowering herself a careful distance away from Tan on the bench. Korean History. She had evidently bought the book used, those crease marks could not possibly have been the result of just a few weeks of use. Another anomaly.

His purpose somewhat met, he turned immediately on his heel straight back up to the school, much to the disappointment and yet relief of the small, brave crowd that had gathered in the lobby, expectant as to some sort of new development to gossip about. But his face betrayed no expression anymore and he just sauntered past them.

In the quiet babble that was left in his wake, all agreed that he had started acting stranger, if that were possible for such an already warped character, ever since Kim Tan had come back. With nothing more left to discern from it, as Tan and Eun Sang were obscured from their vision by the tall shrubbery, the small crowd eventually left, and nothing more was said of the matter.

* * *

"Yah! What on earth do you think you're doing?" This was not what she had been expecting at all. Tan had grabbed onto her arm and was not letting go, his favourite form of teasing. It was playful, as far as she could tell, because he had a grin plastered on his face, but she had a class to reach in the next ten minutes. More concerning was that should anyone in the school see her right now, it was going to be a huge issue. You have to be firm, she told herself.

Taking a deep breath she just rolled her eyes to his silly questions that he immediately issued rapid-fire; where had she been? With whom? She hadn't forgotten him had she?

"You wouldn't let me forget you even if I tried to-"

"Ah," He cut in with exaggerated severity, " you're supposed to say, _I would never forget you_." But his eyes were crinkling warmly already.

But she replied with an exasperated glare. "I need to get to class. So let go. I thought you had something important to tell me, I actually do come to school to study you know."

Now he tried to gain her pity. Pouting slightly he gently swung her hand back and forth and complained, "You are seriously so cold to me. I'm just asking for five minutes. I've barely seen you all day."

She just let out a sigh. Tan opened his mouth, now confident that his constancy was beginning to win, but it was then that Eun Sang heard the tapping of heels upon the paved path nearby. She instinctively wrought herself from his grasp and took a few steps back. They remained frozen in suffocating silence, even after the _click_ of the heels had long gone past.

Eun Sang just walked away, only stopping slightly to scoop up her textbook and bag, keeping her eyes downcast. Tan called after her by name, but to no avail. And so, he was left on the bench as she had found him, moody and thoughtful. The lines on his brow had reappeared, and they were only more furrowed than ever, his eyes flitting as he steadied himself with a deep breath.

Why were things so difficult.

It just wasn't even a question for them anymore.

Eun Sang had abandoned any thoughts of getting to class on time now. She felt as though she had been slammed against wall, her breathing was forced and a little painful. Was she humiliated? Relieved? Maybe, she thought as she trodded along, conscious effort was required to scale the stairs now, she wasn't feeling anything at all. But tears were beginning to prickle in her eyes, irritatingly rebellious to her persistent will for them not to show themselves. The slightest semblance of vulnerability here was dangerous, she was already a target. She quickly dashed away the offending tears with one quick swipe of her cuff, and set off at a faster pace.

She knew that Tan would not have pulled away no matter who it had been. Knew where the fault lay in that respect. But for all his openness, therein lay her worries as well. He was confident that they would be able to overcome the hurdles that publicity incurred, that he would be able to protect her and she him, but she was the wiser for it. He had lived in sheltered exile, that's just what it was. Perhaps it had been painful for him to be away from his family, but he had never had any want for money or fineries. She had been raised by a single parent, who lived with a handicap. She knew all too well how cruel people were if you didn't have money or power, how they use you and you let yourself be used. All in order to survive.

Everyday before she had left for America, her driving force had been that she would work to pay for high school, and then get a stable job. All she had to do, she would tell herself, was grit her teeth through high school and then she could at least earn some degree of freedom for later. But like most of her plans, by chance or by interference, they never seemed to go the way she anticipated, and only left her with more trouble to deal with.

She had reached the third floor after what seemed like an eternity. Even in her slightly confused state, she recognized before coming close to the group that had gathered at the classroom that something was off. It was just the fact that everyone else was staying out in the hall, instead of the usual dribble into class right after the start of the period. They had all gathered as close as possible to the doorway without actually crossing the threshold that would lead them inside. There was an atmosphere of organized chaos, that calm before the storm sort of thing, where everyone knew what they were doing, but no one knew exactly what was going on.

"What is this? He's going to get in so much trouble for this-"

"What the hell does he think he's doing-"

"SHHH. Keep you voice down…"

There was no need to squeeze through the tightly knitted crowd. To try and catch a glimpse of who they were referring to. Because there was only one person in the school to whom this mixture of whispered threats and warnings could apply to. She had no idea why Choi Young Do was holding the classroom hostage, but she didn't want to know. She didn't want to get anywhere near him.

But as her shoes squeaked on the too clean floor, she felt two pairs of hands grab her shoulders and bag, which jerked her into the room, past the crowd of awed and shocked faces, with such force that the scream in her throat died out from shock. Her feet hit the ground too suddenly, with too much force, and she felt herself stumble a little, before righting herself up. Trembling, she turned around to face him. She already knew who to expect. What she could not anticipate, and what frightened her even more than his identity, was his expression when she turned to face him. It was like the predator had caught it's prey. Slightly smiling, but not with favourable intent. Disconcerting.

The sharp intake of breath couldn't be controlled. She dimly remembered his vague threat when they had first met of making her into the next kid to pick on if she didn't explain her relationship with Tan. Well, her conservative meetings with regards to Tan didn't matter, she thought with a dull pounding resonating through her head, his toying with her had already begun. He knew about her part time jobs, he even knew her phone number. Now he was just going to escalate things at school, the last place where she needed any more issues.

Young Do flicked his eyes up and down her, and the offered an even wider, more insincere smile. It wasn't like a perverted leer. It was much more frightening than that. More like an expression of satisfaction at seeing her so obviously panicked. "I'm so glad I got to meet you again. I was starting to think you don't like talking to me." Here his suave tones dropped lower, feigning intimacy, and he leaned in fractionally closer, "Even after all I did to show you around because you were the scared new transfer student?"

Paradoxiacal to her terrified demeanour before, she felt the shock of the situation subside, and with it her fear. She met his gaze with equal intensity, but it was laced with obvious hatred. Her articulation returned and she was able to respond with admirable stability of voice,

"What do you want?"

He cocked an eyebrow at her sudden turn of countenance, but he didn't lose his grin. "Let's not be like this, friend. The kids," he gave a little nod at her entangled class mates who were now being blocked from entering by the two burly boys who had taken part in the bullying of Joon Myung, "will think we're fighting."

"Since when have we been friends." She spat out instantly. "I'm leaving if you have nothing else to say."

But he had grabbed her arm and wrenched her down onto a seat. The smile was gone now too. When he leaned in and spoke, his voice was barely audible, but every syllable rang clear, like the low rings of a gong reverberating powerfully inside of her head.

"Now what would a New Money be doing with a used textbook?" As he talked, keeping his grip firmly on her arm, he ripped out her books and pencil case mercilessly from her hands to throw it behind him. All the while as he continued to stare her down.

The school supplies seemed to make more noise against the wall than they should have, based on their size. The books slapped across the wall with audible force, the pencils and pens rolled and occasionally _clanged_ against the metal railing of the window.

This time, she didn't even answer, and instead lowered her eyes, as she kept trying to loosen herself of his grip. She was at a loss at what to do, yes, but more importantly, she did not want the situation to escalate any further. She vaguely heard shouts, whether they were jeers or encouragement didn't really register. Then something happened that no one expected, and made everyone still for a moment. It was a high pitched voice from the hallway.

"Yah! Choi Young Do! Are you out of your mind? What is going o-"

Bo Na strutted through the way the students made for her, in all her pouting peppermint fury, complete with tasseled red coat and kid gloves, but even she stopped with a jerk and a gaping mouth at the sight of Young Do and Eun Sang being forced against her will, when she walked into the classroom. But the pause was slight, and she continued on walking towards the pair raising her voice as she got closer.

"Do you think you own the school you immature little kid, you'd better let go and LEAVE RIGHT NOW!"

Young Do didn't even look at her. His disinterested response only served to incense her further, and she cast a glowering look at Eun Sang for some sort of explanation. But Eun Sang had also not bothered to respond, and she only stared at an unidentifiable spot on the wall opposite soullessly, clearly too tired to do anything else.

Bo Na stamped her feet and stiffened her posture imperiously, "You can't just hold up class while everyone else is here to study!" Again no response. "This isn't your school!" She repeated shrilly.

It was then that he finally started smirking again, and his grip on Eun Sang's arm loosened. It was then that Eun Sang looked up at him again, surprised and momentarily hopeful that he was going to leave. But his dangerous smile had crawled back, signalling that he wasn't finished with them quite yet. He cocked his head to the side, with his mouth open, as he eyed them in mock disbelief. Fake. Everything about him was just a lie. It wasn't even to hide his behaviour, it wasn't as though he was being two-faced, Eun Sang thought unhappily. It was just an extension of his malice, it only drew the more attention for it.

He drew out his words slowly, as though savouring each syllable, even adding little nods of his head to emphasize the supposed gravity. "So, Lee Bo Na, how much do you know about New Money here?" As he took a step closer, Lee Bo Na and Eun Sang would hurriedly jump back, in some sort of independently driven but mutually shared sync. "You know. It'd be a shame if you were lying. Because then, well," here he clapped his hands together, "you would have been lying to the whole school, right? That's not very fair is it?"

Bo Na looked visibly troubled, and Eun Sang felt her fingertips start to numb. She knew that she must have paled slightly. She tried to convince herself that she wasn't scared. That this didn't matter. But if this were to get out at school, plus the fact that it had been Tan who had stuck up for her as New Money, then she could expect much worse to come. And the thought paralyzed her.

Fortunately Bo Na seemed to have dispelled whatever doubts she was having, as she stamped closer to Young Do, "AGH, I don't know or care what she is, you'd better-"

"HEY! What's going on?" Chanyoung's bark had made everyone jump. and he strode in without any pause, to survey the situation. He walked right up to the girls and asked them again directly, "What's going on?"

Eun Sang just motioned to Young Do with a slight roll of her eyes, but Bo Na went on a tirade in her sweet voice, which became more whiny as she further enraged herself.

"Chanyoung- ah! This crazy guy, he's not letting anybody come into the classroom, and he's saying crazy things!"

Chanyoung's usually smiling face had hardened and he turned around to stare down Young Do, who met his rage with a wide Cheshire grin.

"I'm getting sick of you not letting everyone else do their work while you just mess around. Get out. And leave her alone." Here Chanyoung stepped directly between Eun Sang and Young Do, dragging Bo Na with him as he kept his arm around her shoulder.

At this last sentence, Young Do's grin widened even more to bare his teeth, and his eyebrows moved up in surprise. He let out a teasing _ooooh_.

"New money, you seem to have a lot of black knights. Kind of makes me want to compete."

But before Eun Sang could even elicit a reaction, Chanyoung had already responded.

"Get out. Now. Before I make you."

The class watched with bated breaths. Young Do's eyes hardened, and his smile morphed into a more menacing leer.

"I was just about to go. Mr. Class President." So saying he strode off, making sure to bump his wide shoulders into Chanyoung. His two friends followed suit, and the class poured into the room, talking excitedly at what they had been so fortunately allowed to watch so closely. As for the other three, they were still a little breathless themselves at how suddenly it had started and ended.

Bo Na, predictably, was the first one to break the silence.

"Yah, Cha Eun Sang! What are you doing, involving other people's boyfriends in these things? Why are you always attracting so much trouble?"

Eun Sang, normally apathetic or even scornful of Bo Na's silly remarks was caught off guard by how guilty that made her feel. She even felt the need to apologize as she walked up to her fallen supplies to gather them,

"I'm sorry."

But Bo Na was relentless for some odd reason. Normally she would have been more than contented with this, or would have just thrown in some extra childish remark, but today she continued,

"You're always making things so difficul- YAH, CHANYOUNG-AH! What do you think you are doing?"

Chanyoung, for his part, had just walked over to where Eun Sang was kneeling, and sat back down on his haunches as well, to help grab the things. Eun Sang was more embarrassed than grateful. Eager to avoid any sort of further conflict she whispered anxiously to Chanyoung,

"I'm okay. Really. You go comfort Bo Na."

Chanyoung only looked at Eun Sang's face for a second, before he turned his attention back onto picking up her books. She had to admit, she was touched by her friend's thoughtfulness, but as she heard Bo Na give a horrified gasp and stomp away, she couldn't quell the unsettling in the pit of her stomach. That she was not only inviting too much trouble onto herself to handle, but that she was also being a burden to others as well. That was something far more upsetting.

* * *

The long and lean frame crashed onto the loud orange sofa in Myung Soo's wildly colourful and spacious club room. Despite his noisy arrival, Young Do was visibly restless, cross legged and armed, he lightly bounced his knee up and down while looking right and left constantly, searching for something to do. After three minutes he got up and started pacing, stopping occasionally to poke and prod at some of the CD's, the drums, or other bits of clutter that Myung Soo had gathered.

After two minutes he abandoned the exercise as well. Taking out one of the cushions from the sofa, he folded it so that it comfortably propped up his neck as he lay on the soft couch, his hands folded across his torso.

He mentally reviewed the scene from the morning. It had been good for the entertainment value, seeing Mr. Goody Two Shoes get all riled up had been quite funny, but he had also gleaned some pretty interesting tidbits. One, Cha Eun Sang was definitely not New Money. Two, Lee Bo Na and Class President knew this. Thirdly, and this was the most interesting of all, they were all willing to keep it a secret for her, even though it was clear that Bo Na didn't really care for her.

Chanyoung and Eun Sang had some sort of relationship. Was it just friendship though was the thing? He seemed uncharacteristically aggressive when defending her, he didn't even mention his girlfriend who was standing next to him. Was he two timing? Did they already have a past relationship?

It's not like she was that pretty to have the attentions of both Kim Tan and Class President. Her legs were too stocky, her nose not sharp enough, and her face was too round, too dimpled. There were plenty of other girls at Empire High who were far more beautiful, and guys mostly chased after them. Including Rachel, even though she was about as likeable as a cornered cobra, and Bo Na, who was about as ditzy as a four year old. Nor did she possess any sort of quality that could make her an asset of any sort in terms of wealth, intelligence or standing. She was average at best, even lower than that if you were honest.

It wasn't as though her personality was better either. She was always trying to upset the status quo, always making things difficult for him and others with her alternating boldness and then infuriating sense of self sacrifice. Always looking up with him with that shocked expression, her eyes widening as though she couldn't believe what she was seeing. He really hated kids who were like that. Kids who though they were removed from the system, who thought that they could escape from it, or fight it.

You learn your place, and you stay there. And he would always be there to tell you how that was done.

Plus what about that time when he had seen her at the convenience store, still half asleep. Just what was attractive about a girl who chugged a soda and then slept on a table outside, for everyone to see?

Someone who didn't care for what people thought about her. Who refused to back down even though the odds were against her. Someone so different from everybody else in this hell of a school, from this world that he found himself shut into against his will.

He couldn't even tell anymore if this was a realization or just an admission.

She was… interesting, he allowed. Maybe a bit more than that. Her eyes were quite pretty, and… sparkly, was the next random fleeting thought that sprang from the memory of her staring him down. That was instantly crushed. Because that led to other things, things he had never thought about before, an unstable and shaky ground that he did not want to go into.

But maybe he was already there?

Young Do was so deeply engrossed in these new thoughts, in this new range of emotion that had sprung up within him, that he didn't even notice Myung Soo rush into the clubroom, the door banging wide open and then closing with equal conspicuity.

Myung Soo stopped in the stairwell, a little frightened that he had woken up Young Do, who from his angle appeared to be sleeping, but after creeping slowly forward he realized his friend had just spaced out, an extreme oddity for Young Do.

"Hey!' Myung Soo started brightly, "What are you up to?"

But Young Do did not avert his gaze from the ceiling.

"Thinking."

Myung Soo was even more confused but he played it off well with a series of accepting nods. His curiosity got the better of him though, and he couldn't stop himself from asking again,

"About what?"

"Cha Eun Sang."

This time the immediate reply made Myung Soo almost fall of from his chair as he was seated in front of his drum set. After regaining his balance he let out a surprised yelp,

"WHAT?! Why?!"

No answer. Again, Myung Soo felt that the pestering was unavoidable,

"You don't LIKE her, do you?" But his awkward laughter died in his throat at Young Do's short reply.

"Maybe."

Myung Soo's already large eyes widened to comical proportions.

"Are you joking? Out of all the girls in our school, you have a crush on the transfer student? Wait a minute," Here he became thoughtful, "Is this your first love? If you like her then you should't be pushing her around you know." Back to wailing, "I can't believe your first love of all people is THE TRANSFER STUDENT…."

Here Young Do sat up and Myung Soo clamped his mouth quiet. But the only thing that Young Do said as he stretched out his arms was,

"You want to go get something to eat? Noodles? I've been in here all afternoon." To which Myung Soo readily agreed. He wasn't going to forget about it that easily, this information was absolutely shocking. But Young Do obviously did not want to talk about it, and to be honest, he was really hungry too. Maybe he had been joking? His friend seemed back to his normal joking self. Too confused to care now, Myung Soo followed his friend out the door.

* * *

Class was over, and finally, so was today at school. There was still part time work at the restaurant today, but that wasn't until an hour, and she had an assignment due. But just this once, she decided to take a break, even if she might end up regretting it tonight. The restaurant was only about a ten minute walk away, it was a high end place, and one of the few places that she worked at which was an easy distance away from school. She might as well take the time to look around at this place, this school.

The gardens were perfectly preened, the ceilings, high and airy, with metal beams running through with an elegance that stunned, and a complexity which awed. The floors, the windows, it was all startlingly clean and it all looked new and expensive. It just had that air. Everything about it, she realized as she walked around, had been created with the sole purpose of keeping the unworthy out, of sheltering the chosen in.

It was like a glass castle. And she wasn't sure if she could find her place in it anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello everyone, and thank you for your patience. I've had four exams in three days (University BLEGH) so I have to ask for your understanding. For the follows, favourites and reviews as well as all of you who read the story itself, I'd like to offer my sincere gratitude. It is really nice to hear the feedback (Thank you to Sara, Butterfly ninjachan, sidy, bam, Amy and cubangirl), as well as your personal opinions about Young Do's characterization in the series itself (Thank you Jay). A special note to Ah Mi, you don't ever need to apologize for your English :) You are conveying your thoughts perfectly! My last exam finishes on Thursday, so in all probability I won't update until after that. In the mean time, please enjoy, and once again, a very big thank you to all._

_Beep. Beep. Beep. _The wailing of the alarm was always so odious when initially registered in the morning's grogginess. Eun Sang reached across for her phone, marvelling at how such a small and inconspicuous piece of technology could produce such irritating volumes of noise. She swiped at the screen to keep it quiet, and then kneeled up on her blankets, her eyes still refusing to open themselves. After a check to make sure her mother was still sound asleep, she pushed herself up, with great difficulty and effort, and headed for the bathroom.

It was 5:30 in the morning. On the dot. Even though it was indeed around an hour earlier than when she would normally wake up, that was not the main reason for her disorientation. She had stayed up far later than she had anticipated last night, working on the assignment she had forgone in place of looking around at the school. That, she stressed to herself, as she was gathering her toiletries to get ready for the day, was exactly why she needed to stay focused, on school work and her jobs. She couldn't afford any more distractions, seeing as she already had managed to gather so many. They were too numerous and heavy for her to manage alone.

She was ready to leave in a little more than half an hour. Flustered that she was running behind her self composed schedule, she raced through the tiled and gleaming kitchen, the richly furnished living room and out the door with less caution than she had originally planned for. But her momentum was stalled as she froze momentarily in her steps. The out side air was colder than she would have liked, and the light illuminating her view was still weak, making even the now familiar garden look like a very different place. Jamming her hands into the pocket of her coat, she increased her pace and began to jog. But she was halted in her tracks once more as she stepped out of the gate.

Tan. Kim Tan. A very sleepy one as well. His face was buried in his fluffy white scarf as he leaned against the brick wall. The muffled _clang_ of the gate closing stirred him though, and he called out for her when he spotted her.

"Cha Eun Sang!"

Running away at this point was impossible, because he had stridden forward so as to plant himself right in front of her.

"Ah, see here. Look at you making me wait here all this time." His suave playful mock anger then gave way to a heartfelt confession, "This is way too early, I think I'm going to drop on the street asleep."

Eun Sang let out a _hah_ through her nose at the absurdity of it all as she stared at him with disbelief. She had specifically woken up earlier than routine to avoid this. Anything but going to school with Tan and enduring the humiliation of their classmates. Their stares.

Now that very same Kim Tan was right in front of her, refusing to let her leave. Somehow, in some manner, he must have guessed that she would have left early. Or maybe her haste in the morning had alerted him as to her movements. She couldn't tell.

In any case, that was how she ended up in his car, driving to school.

"Next time my mom asks about me, you need to make sure you need to make me look good! You just have to say _Kim Tan is the smartest person at school. Because of his handsome face, he's very popular as well_. That's all you need to do and she'll leave you alone." He gave off a self satisfied smile, content in how his suggestion had both placed him favourably and was annoying Eun Sang into a response.

"I would never be able to say such things with a straight face." She snapped back. But she then continued on in a calmer, more polite voice to the driver, "Excuse me. Please let me off before the school."

But Tan was having none of it, and just cut in with an authoritative, "Just drop us both off at the school." When Eun Sang tried to argue that she couldn't be seen coming to school with him, he just interrupted again, but this time by sneakily laying his head on her shoulder, "Ah, I'm so tired. I can't believe I woke up this early." Eun Sang felt her irritation rising with every passing second, but it was all dissipated by what he then murmured to her, his smooth voice making her catch her breath, "No one's going to be at school at this time anyways. Just stay with me. I won't let anything happen."

Her annoyance with him may have subsided, but her hatred towards herself suddenly sprang forth. From how easily she was fooling herself into being swayed by these words even though in the end they would mean nothing. He couldn't possibly protect her. What would he be able to do, what had he ever done since America to have stopped this suffocating, painful spiral downwards? But it was so hard to not be affected by them. It was just so reassuring to have this presence, this warmth on her shoulder, telling her everything was going to be alright, that he would fix everything. It was so unlike anything she had ever been given, so unlike the harsh reality that had always been poured onto her, leaving her to drown by herself, without any sort hope. It was stupid and pointless, but there it was. So he stayed there, and she remained as well, no longer lying to herself that it was only he who wanted it.

* * *

He had found the perfect place to call her over.

It was only natural now, that he ascertain whatever had overcame him so badly yesterday. He had seen her before at the bike store delivering chicken, and at the convenience store just acting disgraceful in general, but something had been different yesterday. In the way she had looked at him, in how shaken up he was afterwards. That he had been affected by her at all was incredible. So he just wanted to make sense of it. That was all.

It had been easy to get Joon Young to go find and fetch her. But now for the_ coup d'etat_. Young Do couldn't help the small self-appreciative chuckle at how perfectly he had planned it all out. She would have no choice but to come over, and once she did, once she was near him and he could talk to her face to face, he would be able to directly tease out all the answers he wanted out of her. He'd be able to see her face, alone. Just the two of them together, in his hotel, where he would have all the control.

But first, he briskly mentally interjected, the set up. Leisurely he picked up his cell phone and dialled her number. It rang a few times, she must be debating whether to pick up, but she did eventually. Her voice was slightly panicked, her breathing rate had quickened, and it was trembling dangerously.

"What do you want?"

"The restaurant I ordered _jajangmyeon* _at only lets you order two bowls. You should come help me finish one."

"Then eat one and throw the other one away. You're rich enough to afford it." She couldn't keep the venom out of her voice even though she was trying her best to remain calm. Out of all her problems, he was by far the most active in causing her direct pain. And out of all the voices she had heard in her life, all of those that had brought misery unto her and her family, it was his that she hated the most. Myung Soo had also seen her and Kim Tan arrive together earlier in the morning. Had that already reached his ears she wondered? Was that why he was calling?

But the direct rebuttal only widened his smile. It was audible over the phone, "In these troubled economic times, that would be pretty ungrateful. Besides," Here his voice dropped lower, dripping with the overfamiliarity she dreaded, "I've sent someone there for you. I've told him that I'll drop the lawsuit if he brings you." She felt a shiver pass through her. That tone always signalled the arrival of terrible things, anticipated because of his character, but always unpredictable in their downright cruelty. It was such that when she then looked up and saw Joon Young in the door frame, her lip trembled and her eyes wetted not out of surprise that she was being threatened, but that something so low, and despicable could actually have been performed at all. That there was someone in this world who used people such.

Joon Young looked as white as a sheet. His shaking eyes had found hers, after refusing to meet them for a while. Along the way, there was some realization fem both parties that the other had understood their purpose in this grand, convoluted scheme. He tried to start, "I'm so sorr-"

But Eun Sang just walked up to him and and silenced him with a look. It was not reproach, nor was it even pity. It was just shared pain, of camaraderie in mutual hardship. To see someone being used this way broke her heart, but then to see them wracked with guilt over it, that was far too much for her to bear.

"You have nothing to apologize for." She whispered, as she stared into his face.

But Joon Young still could not look at her anymore. Unable to reply, he turned around and started walking, slowly, with much deliberation it seemed, as his shoulders had sagged under some weight, without looking back to check or speak to her any further.

* * *

When she walked into the hotel room, the click of the door announced her arrival before her footsteps in the corridor, and so Young Do looked up from his phone to see her as she walked in. Her face paler then normal, her eyes shining. But her hardened glare, one that had assumed the rigidity of stone, was met with a spreading smile, like a demon luring, and a motion for her to sit down. She followed suit, with great stiffness.

He laid the bowl of noodles and the chopsticks in front of her, and he began mixing the noodles and eating them. But she did not touch them. Instead she directly questioned him after the first few minutes of silence.

"What's the reason you called me. Why are you doing this? You aren't going to drop the law suit, so why are you messing around with people?" Her hands lay in her lap, clasped together, but she kept her voice as demanding as possible. She needed to get out. For both her and Joon Young's sake. But instead of the glib remark she expected from him, she was surprised to see him look up with a more serious stare,

"Who said I wasn't going to drop the lawsuit? You came didn't you?"

Eun Sang's expression had now frozen in shock and confusion. When she shook it off, she was still having trouble articulating her reaction.

"Y- You are going to drop it? Really?" Tears started to form from relief, but the tension in her shoulders remained. She couldn't believe anything he said, but more to the point, she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Yeah." He affirmed directly as he continued to stare with the solemn, serious expression that she had never seen before.

"Why- What does me coming change?" Her voice was regaining stability, and she sounded all the more incredulous for it.

Then came the grin that she had originally expected and yet could never get quite used to. He picked up his chopsticks and started eating the noodles again.

You came, and so my feelings changed into flowers**… something like that isn't it?"

But her expression only hardened further at his sudden turn. Of course. He had been lying. This was all just one funny game to him. He used people, he broke them, all because he thought everything was just so funny.

"I'm not in the mood for jokes." She hissed out through gritted teeth.

His expression changed once again. His smile morphed into that serious stare that completely caught her off guard. "Does everything I say sound like a joke to you?"

His tone as well. It was just so much more subdued than before. It was so much more natural. But surprisingly, that only made it harder for her to react to it. He sounded genuinely hurt. Her eyes widened at the sudden contrast, and she was left speechless.

But it was only for a brief moment. The shark grin was back, the eyebrow was cocked and he was teasing her once again, like a cat that plays with it's food. Testing it.

"That's too bad. Do you hate it?" He queried rhetorically. "Do you hate flowers?" No response but undeterred he continued in the same, over exaggerated manner, "Or do you hate me? Choose one."

She had thrown all caution to the winds now. She didn't care what he did anymore, he was obviously more despicable than any amount of help could save, or any amount of prevention could avoid. "I hate them both."

His smile remained, but the overall expression slightly soured. It was barely perceptible, but it was apparent that the answer had stung. She did not seem to notice that the forced levity did not quite reach his eyes as he glibly replied, "Ah, I just got dumped. I should get revenge now."

Instead Eun Sang let out a _huff _of disgust at this. That he should be so nonchalant as he burned and destroyed the lives of others. The worst. He was the absolute worst. But just as the tension seemed as though it could not get any more unbearable, it was sharply cut as both looked up at the door in shared surprise at the sound of the doorbell. She whipped around to look at Young Do, thinking that this may be some part of his scheming, but he looked just as confused.

When he got up and answered the door, the unmistakeable haughty voice of Rachel came in. The very last person she needed. But much like most things involving Rachel, the worst did eventually happen. Out of all the possible outcomes, Rachel seemingly invited herself it, and found Eun Sang, in what appeared to be a position where she had been eating with Young Do.

Even someone as calculatingly cold as Rachel had to stop in her tracks to register the revelation fully. When she had regained herself, the sneer on her perfectly made lips became more pronounced and her beautiful face twisted with apparent revolt.

"You're a lot more active than I give you credit for." The barbed remark was the first and last offered before she turned on her stilettos and clicked past the corridor and a visibly scornful Young Do, until she was out the door, leaving behind in her wake Eun Sang utterly humiliated, and reeling in her seated position.

Young Do turned back to Eun Sang, hoping to continue where they had left off, but she had already risen and walked over, stopping right in front of him. Apparently Rachel had been the last in a very long list of things that she couldn't handle.

"I can leave now right? You will drop the lawsuit, and you've eaten your noodles." But he sidestepped to block her path, and made one last attempt to goad her into talking with him.

"Where are you off to? Your part time job?" His tone made it perfectly clear that he knew that was exactly where she was going. She looked up at him again, and he expected her to say something snarky in return, maybe even lecture him, possibly cry. She seemed to want to, her eyes were saying so many things right then and there. He wanted to hear them vocalized at least, and directed towards him. But she ultimately just stepped around him and walked on, leaving him trailing his eyes upon her disappearing figure.

When the last of her footsteps had echoed away and the door closed in behind her, it was only then that the unnaturally mask like smile fell. It was then that his eyes dulled and his body that had carried with such arrogance lowered it's guard. Because that was not what he had planned for, nor what he had wanted when he had organized for this meeting with such detail. Not at all.

His utter vulnerability at her loss astounded even himself. He had been shaken by her declaration that she hated him. To the extent that he had almost lost it all and revealed himself. He usually hated people who tried to go against him, and there had been many before who had expressed their revulsion of him, and he had never given a shit then. But when she had said it, his heart had nearly dropped. It had been a confirmation of something he had known all along, after all, hadn't he made it so that she would hate him? That he would chase her out of the school, and with her Kim Tan as well?

Now he knew he would never be able to make her leave the school. Even if it meant that would cause Kim Tan great harm. He wasn't sure exactly when, how or even why, but in some unidentifiable, and by all means involuntary method, Cha Eun Sang had firmly established herself within him as the sole and very first receiver of his admirations and affections.

He had been condemned to boredom after this was done was what he had initially thought in the morning. But now, with this newfound conclusion, this sudden acceptance of someone else to harbour within his thoughts, he was suddenly feeling much more excited at the prospect of having something else to do. That there was now a fixed goal in mind that he could allocate his time and energy into. One that didn't involve Kim Tan, his father, or any of those other pests that had bothered him all these years. In short, he was much happier than he had felt in a long time.

* * *

It was nearly closing time, thankfully, The sky had darkened a while ago, but the clock on the opposing wall, fresh and modern in it's design to match the interior of the store was testament to the time passing as she worked. But the lateness of the hour was not the reason that for the second time today, Eun Sang was having trouble accepting her senses and their version of accounts. Rather, once again the cause of her disbelief was Choi Young Do. Because the tall, well dressed teen had draped his velvety and expensively cut coat across the chair and was situated at the small, round wooden table in the coffee shop, right next to the front desk as though he had claimed right to own it.

She had been ignoring his calls all afternoon and evening after the disastrous meeting in the hotel, and she had certainly expected repercussions, but in her schedule they were to have happened at school. So that her work, private and school life could be kept separate, and she could retain at least some semblance of sanity. But he hadn't even waited for a day. He had evidently been waiting for her to come out from the back and recognize his presence, because he greeted her shocked face with a little contented shake of his head.

"Wow. I didn't realize that businesses could afford to leave their customers unattended for so long."

But she ignored the small talk, the deliberate unconcern, and cut right to the chase as always. "How did you know I work here?"

He let out a fake pout of disappointment at her harsh tone. In a deceptively casual manner he began, "I was pretty surprised to see that New Money is working so hard." She stiffened in front of him, and he continued on, as he bored into her eyes, his grin stretching further. "You must have gotten rich from all the part time jobs you're doing, right?" That had quieted her, as he had known it would have. She stayed in front of him, her small hands clutching at the tray she was holding to her chest, instinctively creating some sort of barrier between him and herself, some sort of protection. But just when Young Do opened his mouth to continue she interjected strongly,

"What do you want me to say? What's the answer that you are looking for?" She was sure that by now, Young Do had learned enough to accuse her in front of the school that she had been lying about her status. The only reason that she could think as to his silence, in public at least, was that he was trying to blackmail her for some end means, probably involving Tan. Or even worse, he was just using the information to panic her, just for his sick idea of fun.

But instead, his expression had softened, the arrogance was momentarily gone, and she felt herself unable to say anything further.

"You don't have to say anything." His voice was a little lower than usual, a little more vulnerable. Turning his gaze upon some distant point on the floor he continued as if to himself, "I only came because I don't have anywhere else to go."

Now she was truly at a loss of what to say or do. His mood swings perturbed her. She couldn't even think of it in any other way, as terrible as it might have sounded. He was just always so insincere. He had asked if she thought everything he said as a joke. And to a certain degree she did. Not in that it was dismissive, or funny, But in that she could never really believe what he was saying, because he always spoke in a way so that it was impossible to tell whether he was telling the truth or not. Even if he was being honest, that he was lonely, what could she possibly say in return?

He must have sensed that she was stuck, as a few seconds later, the smile and the eyebrows had returned to their usual positions, and his tone was once again unsettlingly happy.

"Ah, that's right." He clapped his hands together at the "sudden" remembrance. "I just dropped the suit against Joon Young."

That caught her attention, much like he had hoped. He saw her eyes widen a little and she eyed him more closely. "Really?" She still sounded unconvinced. But the purpose of getting her to talk to him had been met at least.

"Of course." He nodded. "I said I would if you came and-"

"What did you say you would do if she came?"

Eun Sang jumped a little in surprise to see Tan walking over, his expression and tone neutral, but his eyes ablaze with unmitigated anger. She then looked back down at Young Do to see that he had not bothered to glance back, apparently the voice had been recognition enough. Instead he was staring up at her after letting out a long, aggravated sigh.

"This is cheating." He drawled a little bitterly.

Tan had screeched the chair directly opposite from underneath the table, and sat himself down, not moving his stare from Young Do. Wearing a smile that was not meant to be pleasant.

"What have you two been talking about?" He flicked his eyes only momentarily at Eun Sang with a "You go on back." before appropriating his full attention back to Young Do. She dithered for a while. Unsure as to whether leaving the two alone under such a threatening and dangerous atmosphere was the best choice, but it wasn't long before she finally walked back to the desk.

After she had gone Tan questioned him again, but this time more aggressively.

"What did you say to her?"

Both of the boys had dropped their smiles.

Young Do answered with mock friendliness as he settled himself into the chair.

"I was just discussing about how I knew she works here. And at the restaurant. And the chicken store. And how nice it is to see New Money work so hard at all of these jobs."

Tan let out a light _hah. _He took his time before replying jeeringly, "It must be very nice to see that, especially from someone who washes dishes in their dad's hotel all day."

"Don't treat them as if they are the same thing." Young Do rebutted contemptuously.

Another laugh that wasn't really laughing from Tan. But his next sentence was spoken with much more emphasis, and with a deadly expression, "Don't even dare to try and touch Cha Eun Sang. You do that, and you'll have to deal with my wrath. And you, and everyone around you won't be spared." He looked absolutely livid then, with his eyes bulging and his face reddening to unsafe degrees.

But instead of being cowed, perhaps as any sane person should have been from such a proclamation, this only seemed to incite Young Do even further and he widened his eyes to emphasize the intensity of his reply, "You really shouldn't be saying those kind of things. Because then I won't hold back either. And I don't stick to the rules."

The situation was showing signs of becoming more serious. Young Do's right eye had started to twitch, and Tan had begun to clench and unclench his hand into tight fists. But before it could get any worse, they were interrupted by the clattering of a tray right in the middle of their stare down, holding two freshly made chocolate coffees, topped with generous amounts of whipped cream and some crumbled bits of flaked chocolate.

Both of them looked up in disbelief at the ingenuous manager of the store, completely unaware as to the trouble that had brewing immediately prior.

"Eun Sang just made these for you two. Here you go." he said as he handed them out.

"Where is Eun Sang?" Tan immediately asked, looking around for her so that they could leave together. Young Do also listened in interestedly.

"Ah, she just left. Right now." Again he was clueless towards the flabbergasted expressions that appeared on both boys faces. After wishing them a good day, he walked away, very pleased with both himself and his employee for bringing in these obviously very well-to-do people to his store, leaving the two boys in a very awkward state of shared confusion.

* * *

For her part, Eun Sang had ran away from the store as soon as circumstances had permitted. Panting slightly, she slowed her pace so as to catch her breath, now sure that her escape had been successful. She had reached the convenience store, and decided to use the chairs to take a little rest and use the opportunity to mull over some things.

Tomorrow at school was going to be living hell, no doubt now. She had now had two run ins with Young Do, he now knew all the places where she had worked, and if he knew that, then… well, the rest would just be a matter of small inquiries before he would oust her to the school. The only consolation here was that Joon Young at least was not going to end up being sued. If Choi Young Do could be believed that is. He had seemed somewhat believable, she mused. Or more likely, this was just desperation showing itself as her final option in making the day more bearable.

And Tan had come for her. He had saved her.

But he had also tried to start a fight in the store. Which would have just ended up with her losing her job. A concept that neither he nor Young Do probably knew much about nor would ever have to face.

She did care for him. She felt it was impossible not to, after all that had happened to the two of them. Along with his repeated declarations that he liked her. It had all seemed very romantic back in America; before Rachel, before Young Do and before Jeguk. But, and here she very sternly scolded herself, that all wasn't really Tan's fault. He was as bound as she was, and he must be suffering as well. She couldn't really place the blame on him.

But then again, she couldn't deny that had she never met him, had he not been so persistent in his desire to see her, this may have never happened. That if he truly had the power to protect her, it would never have come to this.

Life had never really been easy on her, but now, it was as though there was something up in the heavens actively trying to crush her. Everything, from all directions, was closing in on her. She didn't even understand why, or how it could have all come to be.

Burying her head into her arms, it was so that if any passerby would have happened to walk by at this late hour, they would have just seen a girl sleeping on the table. An odd sight no doubt, but no cause for concern, probably just someone who fell asleep waiting for someone to pick them up was all. It was only if you came a little closer, stared a little more intently, only then you would discern in the faint lighting of the streetlight lamps that her shoulders were shaking. That her hands were trembling.

She stayed there for some time. Perhaps too tired to move in lieu of the overpowering depression that had paralyzed her. In any case the passing of a car, the very first sight of any sort of other life upon the street alerted her to move on quickly before she found herself caught again in another unwelcome predicament. Because the automobile had spurred her memory of other people who frequented the convenience store, and she had already had her fill of meetings with them.

_(* An originally Chinese dish popular in Korea for takeaway, consisting of noodles with a salty black bean sauce. It is normally eaten by first mixing the noodles together as the sauce is very sticky and the noodles need to be separated.)_

_(** This is a line from a famous Korean love poem.)_


	3. Chapter 3

_I would like to reiterate my thanks to everyone kind enough to review (Thank you to czars, Jay, Sara and chan), favourite, follow and read. I'm sorry this chapter is a bit late, but I hope to have the next one out by next week, should I have internet access then. If not, I'll do my best to update whenever I can at the earliest time. Please enjoy!_

Tan had come with her to school again. This time nobody had seen them, and he had even eaten her meagre breakfast of the _kimbap_ triangle with the _kimchi _and ground beef filing with her. She had to smile to herself at how immature their exchange had been, his "bargaining" her for his time, and her very badly concealed denial that she didn't want any of it. Even in the bleak light of the morning, everything had seemed so much brighter then. When the two of them were alone, it was all very simple and all the more easily settled.

But the school bell signalled other things other than just the beginning of classes. It was also the end to this little sanctuary with the two of them. A return to a reality she had never asked for.

And nothing forced this unpleasant feeling more so than the sight of Choi Young Do, constantly villainously leering at her every misfortune, twisted in his delight of the personal displays of his own malice.

But there was a another reason for her tenseness. Coming with Tan, even though they had both risen a full half hour earlier than their trip yesterday, had unfortunately meant that she was left in his unyielding grasp until 5 minutes too short of making it to class in tolerable time. He was always so demanding, she thought inwardly, with both endearment and annoyance, she couldn't tell which of the feelings was more overpowering. As a result, she was stuffing her bag with the textbooks for her first class with only a few minutes left to spare for the late bell, and she picked up her vibrating phone to see the caller without a second thought. But the name on the caller ID, _Do not answer_, made her stiffen and forget all other troubles.

Young Do had called last night, immediately after the exchange at her workplace. She had heard his slithery voice begin to say something along the lines of compensation for something, but she had immediately cancelled the call and set the number to the dissuading title. Apparently, he also wasn't in class right now either, the teachers at the school were quite strict about calling in class although texting was usually ignored, something which didn't really surprise her, but for him to be acting up so early in the morning was highly unusual.

A hand, long, white and and almost feminine were it not for its large grasp smashed into the locker to her right, and she yelped as she turned to face the very same Young Do, his face inches away from hers as he swooped down to stare into her eyes, as his glittered and his predator like smile was plastered unto his face, exuding his contentedness at having finally captured her. His whisper caused her to shiver, and her eyes remained wide,

"What won't you answer." He breathed. "My heart?"

He seemed to keep leaning in, fractionally but the distance and the underlying message was making her extremely uncomfortable and so she wriggled loose, but not before he had sighed with over the top self pity and said,

"Ah, that makes me sad. I wonder what you saved Kim Tan under. Maybe I should check?"

His smile widened. She checked her watch, there were only two minutes left till class began, she had no time for this nor did she really have the energy to do so either. Instead, she took the phone and renamed the number to it's owners proper name, making sure to push the screen as close to his face as she dared so that he could see for himself. Instead of assuaging him, he only soliloquized even more dramatically,

"How sad. I can only make you do things when I mention Kim Tan."

She had less than a minute. So she took drastic action then and wrenched herself free from the frozen grip her legs had been under out of fear before, and briskly turned away to walk to class. She was going to regret this, she thought miserably as she started to run after she had turned the corner. But had she been given the chance to face the situation again, she would have done the same thing. So perhaps regret wasn't the right word here, she mused a little desperately, more like, she was apprehensive of what was to come.

* * *

Despite her premonition for danger after such an exchange, things afterwards had been quite uneventful except for Myung Soo bursting into the wrong class twenty minutes late, causing some good natured chortling from the class which had been swiftly silenced by the sharp look from their elderly English teacher. By the time lunch period had rolled around, she had actually settled down into an almost natural school routine.

Eun Sang made a quick sweep with her eyes through the cafeteria, revealing that neither Young Do nor Tan were in it. She now felt tolerably comfortable to approach the banquet table and finally have some food. Her stomach had been making very noisy growls, which signalled of hunger which was far less serious than their intensity may have suggested to some, but still quite gnawing. Quietly filing in line, she grabbed some mixed vegetable rice and curry as quickly as possible without seeming too overeager

Despite all her precautionary actions, trouble snuck up behind her unnoticed, and in a horrible moment of deja vu she gasped as the very contented Young Do, evidently pleased with how he had been able to approach her undetected for the second time today, snatched her plate of food and drew her away from the buffet table towards one of the eating tables.

She probably should have been afraid then. But as it was she was more angry than frightened as she was indeed very hungry, and she let it be known by her raised tone of voice as she called up to him, annoyed,

"What do you think you are doing? Stop it!"

He pretended not to hear, and instead set the plate of food in the infamous spot, where Joon Young usually resided, and seated himself across, in a more unaffected manner than his usual over exaggerated confidence and began to steadily eat. But he stalled for a moment to glance up at Eun Sang, whose lower lip had started to tremble in spite of herself.

Joon Young had left before school had started for the day. She had watched his disappearing figure from the glass balcony, staying silent in response to the loud chattering from the other students who were to the very last degrading and scornful, whispering in hard edged voices about how pleased they were to see the last of him as though they had personally swept the school free of it's impurities. She had listened half heartedly, her hatred for their snobbery now already spent, her eyes reddening as she tried to stop the tears from coming. A single thought, of complex emotions had overpowered her, rendered her immovable, and powerless. _I never even got to say thank you…_

But now his image was once again back in her mental vision. His retreating back seemed very much like a warning now instead of the pitiful picture it had made in the morning. The sadness that had overwhelmed her now had more dangerous implications, that she was next. That very soon, those would be her defeated steps walking out, as the others watched laughing, triumphant in their cruelty.

The panic that overcame her as a result of the remembrance caused her to be more direct than perhaps she would have thought wise had she been of a clearer mind. She immediately questioned,

"What does this mean?" After he had made a overly quizzical face she further explained her query, "Me. Sitting here."

His eye brows raised in understanding and he responded with inappropriate degrees of levity, like a snake charmer; knowing of his own dangerous power, but the suppression of it making it all the more nerve wracking.

"No reason, I just want to eat with you. I like this spot" This was only half the truth. Young Do was well aware of the implications of the seat choice. But he hadn't chosen it so that she could actually become a target, rather, he knew that the gravity of the situation would make her more inclined to comply, and it would mask his intentions from the other kids as well.

The whispers had begun to rise to hearable levels as they culminated from all corners of the cafeteria as people had begun to notice the situation.

"_Daebak_. Cha Eun Sang is the next target…"

"Young Do usually never goes after girls though…"

"But isn't she New Money..."

He looked up again to gauge her reaction. But she had been staring at him the entire length, and the tears were threatening to spill over as she whispered angrily back,

"But I don't want to eat with you."

He abruptly shed the suavity and brusquely jerked the plate of food to the adjacent seat, hoping to end this vein of conversation, and get on with actually talking with her.

"It's just lunch. You're embarrassing me." He cooed in a particularly wounded tone. He had known she hated him, but this act of defiance was more than he had expected, all the more so because she looked so pitiful at that moment, teary eyed and shaking like a leaf. But she still did not sit down, and it was only when one of the boys came and forced her down with a hand upon her shoulder that she easily gave in, as though it was not entirely unexpected.

But Young Do still internally rejoiced at this. Finally. She had sat down with him. They could now proceed to eat lunch together, and he could reflect upon it. He flourished his hand to gesture for her to continue eating, and he picked up his utensils calmly as you please once again to regain eating. But Eun Sang remained stationary, and instead tried to again determine his motivations.

"If you're using me to piss off Kim Tan. It won't work. We don't have anything."

He just smiled off her seriousness with sarcasm,

"Is that so? He doesn't mean anything to me either."

He was particularly revolting then, Eun Sang raged internally. At least tell me why I am being punished like this, have at least some semblance of humanity and give meaning to such acts. But as her anger towards him rose, so did her sense of defeat, and her shoulders lowered as did her gaze and she remained silent afterwards.

Meanwhile Young Do was calculating. She would eventually have to start eating at least a little. And if not, then she would inevitably talk to him in some shape or form. So when he saw her head suddenly jerk up he was a little surprised, but not too much so. When he had noticed her eyes brightening, he felt the curious sweet sensation wash upon him once again as it did when he would think of her while alone and ruminating. But when he saw that her gaze was fixed upon an approaching Kim Tan he felt cold fury overtake him.

My fucking hero.

All this work to get her to even sit with him, gone. As this bastard stole her right away from him.

Tan had grabbed her arm and was hauling her up like a rag doll, her limbs limp and feeble, shouting at Young Do about how he was going to kill him, but he had promised to eat with Eun Sang. She was mortified, but also extremely grateful at that point, and she felt a little dizzy at the terrifying stress levels that were threatening win over her. But just as she thought it was over, she felt her already weak legs get tripped, with the red suede shoes the she glimpsed being retracted from underneath her being unmistakable. Her plate of food hit the floor with a loud _clang_. When she rose up from the floor, her uniform was covered in the soupy curry base, it's once aromatic and distinctive odour slowly seeping into her clothes, making her nauseous as she controlled the urge to heave.

On the ground, shocked as to what had happened and too embarrassed to look up, she didn't initially register Tan literally rushing by and grabbing hold of Young Do's collar, causing the entire cafeteria to gasp in both anticipation and horror. Once she had roused herself, Eun Sang immediately ran towards the two, who had been exchanging spars with each other, saying things that she couldn't make out, but had caused a sincerely crazy expression to appear in the eyes of both. Before any blows could be thrown Eun Sang latched herself herself onto Tan's arm and whispered so that only the three of them could hear.

"Don't. Don't do it. I fell." Her voice was hoarse, and some tears finally spilled. "I just fell that was all." But her grip on his arm was firm.

Tan stayed still, but Young Do had become positively suicidal after seeing Eun Sang so invested in Tan's safety. So concerned. How touching, he mentally sneered.

He made one last attempt to rile out a response in front of everyone from Tan, to expose him to the barely concealed public wrath against him, and he reached for the lowest of the lows within him to do so.

The unnatural smile widened and he reared up like a snake.

"I guess I made Cha Eun Sang kneel for you." A small flick of his eyes taunted Tan further, now sure from Tan's rising colour that he was succeeding. His voice dropped lower, but the jeering tone intensified as he hissed, "You didn't think I'd go there did you?"

But Tan's lightning advance was stopped by Eun Sang's continuous grip on his arm. Her soft voice had broken as she whimpered,

"Please. Take me out of here…"

The split second pause had lasted a lot longer than it had actually taken for those who were watching. Tan then broke free of her grip and grabbed onto her arm once more as led her away once again, and Young Do watched them go without incident. It was only after they had left when his anger became apparent on his face That his set up, which had taken all morning to come to fruition had been so easily dismantled, and worse, then thrown in his face by her latching onto Kim Tan in front of him. Rachel was there as well, berating him about how had let Tan go with Eun Sang. He couldn't even give a proper response to shut her up with except,

"It'll be harder for him to lose something he once had."

But even to his ears this sounded more like a hollow threat than anything. He needed to catch up to them before the situation spiralled out of his control. He brushed past Rachel, snatching Eun Sang's customs card from her fingertips, ignoring her nasty glare and whipped out his cellphone from his pocket, leaving behind a buzzing cafeteria shocked over the flagrant display of violence. Amongst the chatter was a now thoughtful Rachel, who was mulling over what could have possibly driven Young Do to have approached the problem in such a manner in the first place.

* * *

He had walked all over the school, painstakingly working his way up the floors as he called her. Eun Sang had answered the very first call, but after a hasty, and very frightened sounding response there had been no reply. He was now at the very last floor, just beneath the stairs to the rooftop. When he heard the phone pick up at the other end, he let in a sharp intake of breath out of some sort of expectation, and immediately started talking in his cocky, unfazed style lest she hang up too soon.

"Ah, what have you been doing I've been calling all this time?"

"Don't ever call Cha Eun Sang again. You just wait there you bastard, I'm going to find you and kill you." Came the all too recognizable decidedly male voice.

Young Do once again let in a breath, but this was out of pure irritation. Out of all the people to deal with, this bastard was the very last he needed. But they were both spared of each others conversation any further, as Young Do looked up at the stairs to see Eun Sang walking down, her steps measured and slow, looking slightly dazed.

"The rooftop…" Young Do muttered to himself. To Tan he replied to the threat with venomous cheek, "I see Eun Sang coming now, I don't really have time right now but I'll talk to you later." He then ended the call and took a a few paces over to Eun Sang, who had looked up and noticed the tall boy staring intently at her, who was expectant and curious as to her reaction. She had stopped for a second, and her eyes had widened a little, her most expressive aspect. He was ready for anything that she said now that he had picked on her to such an extent, he had comebacks and conversations starters for all the possibilities.

What he did not expect was that she just walked on by, as though she had not noticed him as anything worth some sort of distinction.

By some instinctive feeling, which ironically he had never relied upon, being too calculative of nature to use, he grabbed onto her wrist, in a desperate attempt to at least make her notice him. Talk to him, even.

But his hold was flung away with a ferocity that shattered his unconcerned mask. His eyes had widened and his pain became apparent as he took in her expression. He had always known she hated him. But from all the other emotions she had revealed to him; anger, despair, pity even, none had caused him to tremble such. Because never before had she shown such disgust, such animosity.

To be on it's receiving end was indescribably painful and embarrassing. Unable to hate her the lacerations fell unto him, and he fell into a numbness to escape it. With wallowing self pity, but with a scorching self loathing.

It wasn't until Myung Soo came by a while later that Young Do realized he had been staring at some random point ahead, fixed in his position where she had left him. And that she was long gone.

Myung Soo looked at his friend with worried annoyance. He had heard the account of the cafeteria situation from some very loud girls who were still chatting about every detail of the incident in the lobby. Being the sole person privy to Young Do's crush for Eun Sang only confused matters even more. He decided to try the direct approach, as often his much brighter friend was able to easily out manipulate him when he tried to approach subjects in a more subtle fashion. Steeling himself, he walked up to Young Do with the most severe face he could muster with his baby-like features.

"Yah! If you really like her, then why would you trip her? Just ask her out!" His loudness surprised himself a little, and craned his neck in order to try and appear more intimidating to his towering friend.

But Young Do appeared disoriented. He had no reaction whatsoever, except to turn his gaze away from the wall. His reply was quiet, hesitant, almost as if he were figuring out the answer as he was talking.

"I wanted to know. What it felt like." A little more clearly he articulated, his eyes now running wildly, "What it felt like to trip Cha Eun Sang."

Myung Soo dearly wanted to help his friend. But his limit of understanding of Young Do's complex character had been reached. Unable to offer anything else, he just sniffed his disappointment and walked away from the scene, now slightly proud of himself for almost holding his ground, and secretly hoping that Young Do would quickly snap out of whatever trance was holding him and follow.

* * *

It was now afternoon. Not that it made a difference to him. It was all very much the same when you were alone. You'll see the same places over and over again, the novelty of the day in time for which you visit them only lasting so long before those variations had been expedited as well. Young Do sat in the chairs outside the convenience store, his already fierce face now looking downright frightening with a nasty cut on his upper lip and brow.

Kim Tan was more dedicated than he had given him credit for, waiting in the lobby to start a fight. Young Do was not a humble person, but he was not a fool. He knew he had been overpowered in that fight, and that had Myung Soo or Hyo Shin not stepped in, the end outcome would most likely not have been favourable for him. But the foul expression he wore from the smarting of his injuries was suddenly replaced by a softer eye, an expression of quiet remembrance as he stared at the unassuming blue plastic chair opposite. Because he had remembered the girl whom he had first noticed right here, in this exact spot, and he could not stop the fondness that welled within him from it's memory.

Had it been not two weeks previous, he would have sat here and remembered the incident with scorn. That there was someone out there who had the audacity to do such a thing in public. But as of now, when he remembered how her sleeping face had held such innocence, he realized that whatever little flaws he had nitpicked before about her appearance and her manner were fast erasing themselves from his memory. All he could remember of that time now was that she had especially beautiful as he had waved his hand in front of her face making sure she was asleep as he had appraised her. Her eyelashes being so very long, her face being so small and white contrasted with her lacquered jet black hair, and she herself; so innocuous and vulnerable as she slept. Without a care in the world.

Choi Young Do had many faults, and he knew of them. He even used them to manipulate others to get what he wanted. Tan beating him in the fight may have been a blow to his pride after studying _Ju-Jit-Su_ for so long, but in the end he had gotten what he had wanted anyways. The conversation in the lobby as he and Kim Tan had been led away by the disgruntled teacher had been decidedly skeptical of Kim Tan's presence of mind. It was only a matter of time before similar acts caused Kim Tan's reputation to take an even deeper nosedive, possibly even cause a shift in power.

But there was one weakness of his that he could not seem to explain. One chink in his armour that he was unable to use to confer any benefit to himself. Because he was unwilling to resolve this weakness of his, did not want to use or twist it for his own usage, it was the sole flaw of his that he felt completely unprotected against.

Cha Eun Sang. A weakness she may be. But never had one been so welcomed, or even so cherished before. His pathetically weak response to her scorn had definitely driven the point home. Now alone, and of a more clear mind he made a mental note not to force a situation in which she would shake off such a personal gesture. Looks, words, emotions, he could bear with. But the pure disgust and rejection of his touch had shaken him badly, too badly, and he never wanted to experience anything of the sort again.

He picked up his phone and sighed over how early it still was. Evidently reminiscing worked under some alternative time scheme, where information flowed much faster than it could have been allowed in consciousness. To try and make the time move by faster he decided to enter the convenience store itself and peruse through the products with as much care and attention to detail as possible so as to finally settle on the best choice. That method worked well when he wanted to waste time.

But his hands in his pocket brushed up against a piece of paper. It was Eun Sang's custom paper. Of particular interest was the address she had written down. He recognized the neighbourhood from his bike rides and it's reputation was not particularly glamourous. Quite the opposite.

Instead of going into the store he made a U-turn towards his bike parked at the curb. There was something he needed to confirm. Just for fun.

* * *

It was nearly closing time, and the kindly manager at the drinks shop had left Eun Sang ten minutes before, after asking her to close up shop. She had been wary all evening of some menace from school, be it Young Do or Tan, showing up, however all appeared to be well. Two boys were still taking their time finishing up their drinks, and so she went up to them and said,

"Excuse me, I'm sorry to inform you but we will be closing in ten minutes."

The boys seemed around her age. They possessed the good looks of kids who had been well groomed since youth, and they evidently knew it. One of the boys, with the longer hair appeared to be in the mood to show off, and he eyed Eun Sang with a cringeworthy attempt at a smouldering gaze. She didn't even fight back the urge to roll her eyes.

"You know, if you give us your number we'll think about leaving."

She didn't bat an eye at this. A lifetime of working at part time jobs had introduced her to a variety of shady characters and she had perfected her method of dealing with them.

"The CCTV here is linked directly to the police station. We are closing in ten minutes."

But youth had either made him overly brash or just naive as he grabbed onto her hand and then furthered a bit more aggressively,

"You should at least give in somewhat. We come here everyday you know."

His rudeness was irritating, but she didn't lose the deadpan expression and delivery.

"I'm going to call the police-"

But a clear, ringing voice gladly sang through the store then.

"The police is here!"

Choi Young Do dashed through the door to land a flying kick at the boy, causing both him and his chair to sprawl across the floor, and for Eun Sang to gasp in shock. The other friend sprang to his feet, incensed, but he paled when Young Do turned around, and Eun Sang saw him mouth his name in horror.

Young Do turned around in mock surprise and apparent recognition.

"Ah! I remember you, we were friends in junior school. How have you been?" Here he extended his hand, but the boy just ran past him and dragged his friend up, both exiting the store as quickly as they possibly could, leaving behind the the furniture scattered and a shell shocked Eun Sang.

Young Do retracted his hand with over exaggerated fuss, and pouted at her which warped into an overly friendly grin after a brief pause.

"If you are going to be pestered, it should be by me. Not by idiots like them." After a little while, "Aren't you going to say thank you?"

Eun Sang let out a loud _che_ in spite of herself. Out of all the people. She had used to think that Tan had perhaps latched a GPS system on her with the way he always kept tabs on her whereabouts, but maybe she was just a magnet for trouble. The store was a mess, she would possibly be seeing a lawsuit, and all over something that could have easily been resolved. She retorted quickly,

"Why should I? You're the bad guy." Her tone quickly became defensive, troubled as she fully registered once again who he was. "Why are you bothering me?"

He seemed at a loss for words at this. Instead of snarkily replying with some preconceived answer, the most he could do was quietly reply,

"I'm not bothering you."

When he became like this, soft spoken and he let out this very honest, or at least more honest, part of himself, Eun Sang never knew how to properly respond. It was easier when he was being terrifying, because then she could clearly categorize him as her enemy. Evil. But when his eyes and speech lost their harshness, so did her motivation to hate him. Because he then became a boy much like any other normal high schooler, with the same fears and insecurities. It was unsettling and she didn't like the feeling at all even though he seemed far less dangerous than normal in these sudden mood changes.

As usual though, the momentary lapse in the facade was covered up quickly and the frightening grin was back. As was her guard.

"Would this be considered bothering you? I went to your old neighbourhood." He smiled wider at her obviously flustered reaction, her pretty eyes widening in fear. "From the looks of it you definitely aren't New Mon-"

But by now Eun Sang had experienced enough. Something cracked and she wasn't sure why, and at that instant she didn't care. She wasn't completely sure of what her motivation had been when she looked back on this moment, perhaps she had been sick of his blackmail, maybe she had been disgusted at herself for lying all this time. Whatever the reason she cut into Choi Young Do's rehearsed threats cleanly and exclaimed confidently,

"Yeah. I'm not New Money. You're right."

Instead of the elated expression she had expected, he looked rather shocked, in a disappointed sort of way. He played it off well, but the oddity of his reaction struck her.

"Of course. See, I was always right." He was twirling his eyebrows once again and baring his toothed grin once more. But Eun Sang had not relented. Her courage now unveiled was not going to leave so swiftly,

"What are you going to do now?" Her tone of voice had raised a notch and she was staring him down as she reared her head, making it clear as to her disdain. "Are you going to chase me out of school now?" Despite her fiery eyes and proud stance, the overwhelming thought on her mind was not to cry. Because the memory of Joon Young was still fast upon her, and she had been a first hand witness to all that he had suffered. The pity for him, and the terror that she was going to be next had given her strength in the most unlikely of manners

Young Do had stopped talking and instead he let the silence seep through between them. When he did speak again, it was careful, measured, but still very sure of himself, as he was able to look at her squarely in the eye as he said,

"No, because I started to like you." His lip curled a little, as part of a pained expression more so than ill-will as he added, "But you hate me, don't you?"


End file.
